Does the Mazda MX-5 fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Mazda MX-5 records 14.01 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 17.12 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−3.11, 95% interval −3.23 to −3.00). It ranks 505 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Mazda MX-5 by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mazda MX-5 is “Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake”, recorded 15,336 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 15,336 | 3.07 |
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 9,042 | 1.81 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 6,496 | 1.30 |
| Parking brake inoperative on one side | 4,771 | 0.96 |
| Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle. | 4,498 | 0.90 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 499,285 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Mazda MX-5 gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
13.6% of Mazda MX-5 MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 2,160 miles later (82,008 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 82,008 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
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